Metal Gear Solid: Snake Eater 3D Review

Snake makes his way to the Nintendo 3DS. Does this port do the original MGS 3 justice?

That Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater is great isn't subject to much debate. As the third modern Metal Gear title, this Cold War era stealth/action adventure was well-received upon its release, and even improved with a refined version a year later. Outside of the original Metal Gear Solid, this is about as good as it gets for Hideo Kojima's revered saga. In other words, it's a fine choice to re-release 8 years later. The only questions are whether this port is a good one, and whether it suits its target platform. Renamed Metal Gear Solid: Snake Eater 3D, this 3DS game in many ways improves upon its source material. That it takes advantage of the portable's abilities is commendable, though it still suffers from some problems both familiar and new.

Serving as the earliest story in the Metal Gear Solid franchise, Snake Eater stars a CIA operative known as 'Naked Snake'. This rugged, inexperienced warrior will eventually become 'Big Boss', who serves as the genetic source material for the iconic hero Solid Snake. Origin stories can be powerful if told well, and this is no exception. MGS 3 works almost as well as the first entry in the series because it keeps its focus and rarely meanders into some of the tortuous musings that have crippled some of the other Metal Gear games.

It helps that this cast of characters is excellent, from Snake himself to his mentor The Boss, and a fantastic array of memorable, super-powered soldiers that round out the villainous unit known as Cobra. The storyline is packed with references that even those relatively new to the MGS franchise will appreciate, and the frequent nods to real life history gives this game a grounded feel that some of its counterparts lack. True to all Metal Gear games, the characters have a tendency to babble endlessly, offering their thoughts on everything that comes to their minds. Skipping some of this chatter is almost an unfortunate necessity if you care about having a little gameplay with your dialogue. Don't expect the 40-minute marathons found in MGS 4, but brace for folks facing an end-of-the-world scenario to be unusually chatty.

Long before Solid Snake... there was Naked Snake.

Snake Eater's story clearly stands the test of time, but everything around it isn't necessarily so fortunate. Graphics, design and control can age, exposing a game's weaknesses when compared to modern counterparts. That this Metal Gear title still holds up amongst other 3DS titles speaks to its pedigree. Visually the game is still great, keeping up with all but the best that Nintendo's relatively young portable has to offer. The addition of the second screen also keeps the game's HUD out of the action, resulting in an incredibly crisp, clear presentation of the game (albeit on a small screen). This won't look as stunning as Resident Evil Revelations, but it's also a decade old and built for a different platform experience. Oddly enough, while Konami's implementation of 3D is quite excellent, it didn't manage to fix any frame rate issues. In fact at times Snake looks like he's running in slow motion.

Control is a curious situation with Snake Eater 3D. Technically this port features a superior configuration compared to its previous iterations. Aiming and shooting is now done with the shoulder buttons, players can raise their weapons and move while crouching, and the touch screen allows for rapid access to medical supplies, food and weapons. However without the Circle Pad Pro, this game can be frustrating, featuring an awkward layout and a camera controlled with the portable's four primary face buttons. That an extra accessory is practically a necessity exposes the system's inherent flaws, and unfortunately damages the game in the process.